Echoing the voices of SWVIs under Covid-19 inspired online learning.

Abstract

With the kind of interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many higher institutions, including the University of Ghana, swiftly shifted their engagements online which might have come with its setbacks. In view of that, this phenomenographic design study sought to investigate and document the qualitatively different perspectives of thirteen students with visual impairments (SWVIs) as they transitioned and studied fully in an online space. The experiences of the SWVIs were captured in five themes that emerged from the analysis of the field data. The five themes are pre-COVID-19 academic experiences, [initial] reaction to online shift, preparation towards online shift, coping mechanisms in fully online learning spaces and preferred post-COVID-19 learning space. In the end, the SWVIs expressed more challenges with online learning than benefits and opted for a switch to the face-to-face mode post-COVID-19. Consequently, the study recommends inter alia, training for students and faculty to build sustainable online relationships; deployment of participatory technologies to build learner autonomy; and the need for the University to craft a policy of inclusiveness which embeds ‘ubuntu’ (common humanity) and human awareness to reverse inequalities among its students.